Over the next month and a half before Alabama opens the regular season - and beyond - there will be many people offering their take on the QB battle. Fall camp intel will leak, and Alabama fans and plenty in the national media will have their opinions.
No matter the choice Kalen DeBoer makes, it will be under heavy scrutiny the first time the winner of the battle makes an in-game mistake. That's the reality of the business.
The battle will wage on in fall camp between the veteran Austin Mack and the young wunderkind Keelon Russell, though popular sentiment has already handed the keys to Russell.
The 5-star sophomore carried significant momentum in the competition coming out of spring practice. He outshined Mack in the A-Day scrimmage, and Tide fans immediately threw caution to the wind and ignored Mack being banged up and all the practices they didn't see before the scrimmage.
Russell has been anointed as the heir apparent, even if that might not be the sentiment of the coaching staff.
Former Tide Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram seems to agree, stating on the latest Triple Option podcast that he believes Russell has the upper hand in the competition.
"I'm looking forward to Keelon Russell at Alabama," Ingram said. "They haven't announced a QB1 yet, but I think he kind of has the upper hand right now. We have Austin Mack as well. Tall, physical guy, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that competition plays out at Alabama."
Mark Ingram believes Keelon Russell has the upper hand in Alabama's QB competition
Russell is the favorite in terms of popular sentiment. The coaching staff likely doesn't consider either him or Mack the favorite right now. It's an open competition heading into the fall, and you'll likely see Mack remain first up in drills at least early on in camp due to his seniority.
Mack's experience should not be discounted. It's his biggest selling point. There's little doubt that he could come in and effectively run the offense.
But there's also little doubt that the ceiling for the offense would be higher with Russell. His dual-threat ability might be the missing piece for Alabama's ground game in 2026. He's also got a big arm and can make every throw required in this system.
From the moment that Russell's stock soared during the 2025 cycle and he finished as the No. 2 overall player, Alabama fans have been counting down to the moment he was handed the reins of the offense.
That countdown could be approaching zero.
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